Ian Whitcomb

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Ian Whitcomb in 1990
Ian Whitcomb in 1990

Ian Whitcomb (born Ian Timothy Whitcomb, 10 July 1941, Woking, Surrey, England) is an entertainer, singer, songwriter, author, record producer, and actor. As part of the British Invasion, his hit song "You Turn Me On" reached number 8 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965.

He has written several books on popular music, beginning with After the Ball, published by Penguin Books (Britain) and Simon & Schuster (United States) in 1972. He accompanies his singing by playing the ukulele and, through his records, concerts, and film work, has helped to stimulate the current revival of interest in the instrument. His recreation of the music played aboard the RMS Titanic in the film of that name won a Grammy Award in 1998 for package design and a nomination for Whitcomb's liner notes (Titanic: Music As Heard On The Fateful Voyage).

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[edit] Early life

Whitcomb's father, Pat, worked for his father's film company British Screen Classics in the 1920s, eventually co-starring in Mr. Nobody (released by Fox in 1929). His father was a schooled pianist and encouraged Whitcomb to play. Ian's younger brother, Robin, accompanied him on drums in their first bands, notably The Ragtime Suwanee Six (1960-62) whose manager was Denny Cordell, later to produce records by Procol Harum and Joe Cocker. Robin went on to play tambourine on Sonny & Cher's hit "I Got You Babe" (1965). Growing up, Whitcomb's chief musical inspirations were Phil Harris, Johnnie Ray, Guy Mitchell, Elvis Presley, and George Formby. He was sent away to boarding school in 1949 (Newlands, Seaford, Sussex) at age 8 and there he soon formed a tissue paper-and-comb band to entertain staff and boys with current hits such as "Riders in the Sky".

[edit] Main career

At Bryanston, a public school in Dorset, England, Whitcomb started a skiffle group in 1957 and then a rock and roll band in 1959. In the early 1960s, while studying history at Trinity College, Dublin, he became a founding member of Dublin's first rhythm and blues band, Bluesville. Their second record release, "This Sporting Life", charted in the U.S. in 1965. Whitcomb’s next single, "You Turn Me On2 (a 12-bar blues) reached Billboard’s number 8 spot in July 1965. During his summer vacation in 1965, Whitcomb went to America to appear on such television programs as Shindig, Hollywood A Go-Go and American Bandstand. Whitcomb played the Hollywood Bowl with The Beach Boys in 1965 and then toured with The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.

"N-Nervous!" Whitcomb’s next release, was recorded in Hollywood, California and reached Billboard's Top 50. He returned to Dublin for his history finals and received a B.A. degree. In 1966 he turned to early popular song: his version of a 1916 comedy number, "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go with Friday on Saturday Night?" was a West Coast hit, reviving the ukulele before the emergence of Tiny Tim.

After making four albums for Capitol Records and producing Mae West on her album called Great Balls of Fire for MGM Records in 1972, Whitcomb returned to the UK where he began his writing career with After the Ball. He later wrote Tin Pan Alley, A Pictorial History (1919-1939) and a novel, Lotusland: A Story of Southern California.

Returning to Hollywood, Whitcomb starred in and wrote L.A.–My Home Town (BBC TV; 1976) and Tin Pan Alley (PBS; 1974). He also provided the music for a documentary film, Bugs Bunny: Superstar (UA), which was narrated by Orson Welles. For Play-Rite Music he cut 18 piano rolls that were included in an album, Pianomelt. His other albums reflected his research into the genres of ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville, and music hall. These, beginning with Under the Ragtime Moon (1972), were released on several record labels including Warner Bros. Records, United Artists, and Decca Records. During that time he also wrote and produced singles for Warner Bros.’ country division, most notably "Hands", a massage parlour story, and "A Friend of a Friend of Mine".

In the 1980s Whitcomb published Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle of the Sixties: Ian Whitcomb, a memoir of the 1960s and described by The New York Times as the best personal account of this period. He also published Ragtime America (Limelight Editions, 1988), followed by a memoir of life as a British expatriate living in Los Angeles, California, Resident Alien (Century, 1990). He produced a British documentary on black music, Legends of Rhythm and Blues (part of the series Repercussions, made by Third Eye Productions for Channel Four in 1984). During this time he also hosted a radio show in Los Angeles for fifteen years, taking the program from KROQ to KCRW and finally to KPPC. His songs can he heard in the films Bloody Movie (1987), Cold Sassy Tree (1989), Encino Man (1992), Grass (1999), Stanley's Gig (2000), After the Storm (2001), The Cat's Meow (2002), Last Call (2002), Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes (2002), Lonesome Jim (2005), and Fido (2006).

[edit] Today

Whitcomb performs at music festivals throughout America. He continues to write, and he makes frequent guest appearances.

From 7 November 2007, Whitcomb can be heard on his internet radio program on Wednesday evenings from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.(PST) at LuxuriaMusic.com.

Whitcomb lives in Southern California with his wife Regina and their dog, Rollo.

[edit] Selected discography

[edit] Singles

  • 1964 – "Soho" / "Boney Moronie" (Jerden 735)
  • 1965 "This Sporting Life" / "Fizz" (Jerden 747)
  • 1965 "This Sporting Life" / "Fizz" (Tower 120)
  • 1965 "You Turn Me On (Turn On Song)" / "Poor But Honest" (Tower 134)
  • 1965 "N-E-R-V-O-US!" / "The End" (Tower 155)
  • 1965 "18 Whitcomb Street" / "Fizz" (Tower 170)
  • 1965 "No Tears for Johnny" / "Be My Baby" (Tower 189)
  • 1965 "Good Hard Rock" / "High Blood Pressure" (Tower 192)
  • 1965 "Your Baby Has Gone Down the Plug-Hole" / "Lover’s Prayer" (Tower 212)
  • 1965 "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" / "As Tears Go By" (Jerden 788)
  • 1965 "Louie Louie" / "Walk Right In" (Tower 216; released as "Sir Arthur")
  • 1966 "You Won’t See Me" / "Please Don’t Leave Me on the Shelf" (Tower 251)
  • 1966 "You Really Bent Me Out Of Shape" / "Rolling Home With Georgeanne" (Tower 336)
  • 1967 "Lucky Jim" / "I’ve Been Ill" (Stateside/EMI SS2014)
  • 1973 "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" / "They Go Wild, Simply Wild over Me" (United Artists XW 162-W)
  • 1976 "Somewhere In Virginia in the Rain" / "Pancho" (Warner Brothers 8180)
  • 1977 "You Do Something To Me" / "I'm a Hooray With a Cane" (Warner Brothers K17018)

[edit] Albums

  • 1965 You Turn Me On (Tower T 5004)
  • 1966 Ian Whitcomb’s Mod, Mod Music Hall (Tower T 5042)
  • 1967 Yellow Underground (Tower ST 5071)
  • 1968 Sock Me Some Rock (Tower SDT 5100)
  • 1970 On the Pier (World Record Club/EMI ST 1010)
  • 1972 Under the Ragtime Moon (United Artists UAS 29403)
  • 1973 You Turn Me On (Ember Records NR 5065)
  • 1974 Hip Hooray for Neville Chamberlain! (Argo/Decca 2DA 162)
  • 1976 Crooner Tunes (First American 7704)
  • 1976 Treasures of Tin Pan Alley (Audiophile AP 115)
  • 1977 Ian Whitcomb’s Red Hot Blue Heaven (Warner Bros. K56347)
  • 1979 Ian Whitcomb: The Rock & Roll Years (First American FA 7729)
  • 1980 At The Ragtime Ball (Audiophile AP 147)
  • 1980 Instrumentals (First American FA 7751)
  • 1980 Pianomelt (Sierra Briar SRAS 8708)
  • 1981 In Hollywood! (First American FA 7789)
  • 1982 Don’t Say Goodbye, Miss Ragtime (with Dick Zimmerman) (Stomp Off SOS 1017)
  • 1983 My Wife is Dancing Mad (with Dick Zimmerman) (Stomp Off SOS 1049)
  • 1983 The Boogie Woogie Jungle Snake (ITW Records 01)
  • 1984 Rag Odyssey (Meteor Records MTM-006)
  • 1984 On The Street of Dreams (ITW Records 03)
  • 1986 The Best of Ian Whitcomb (Rhino Records RNLP 127)
  • 1986 Oceans of Love (ITW Records 04)
  • 1987 Steppin’ Out (Audiophile AP 225)
  • 1987 Ian Whitcomb's Ragtime America (Premier PMP 1017)
  • 1990 All the Hits Plus More (Prestige/BBC PRST 005)

[edit] Compact discs

  • 1988 Happy Days Are Here Again (Audiophile ACD 242)
  • 1992 Ian Whitcomb’ Ragtime America (ITW 009)
  • 1995 Lotusland—A New Kind of Old-Fashioned Musical Comedy (Audiophile ACD 283)
  • 1996 Let the Rest of the World Go By (Audiophile ACD 267)
  • 1997 The Golden Age of Lounge (Varese Sarabande VSD 5821)
  • 1997 Ian Whitcomb: You Turn Me On!/Mod Mod Music Hall (Sundazed SC 11044)
  • 1997 Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage (Rhino R2 72821)
  • 1998 Spread a Little Happiness (Audiophile ACD 249)
  • 1998 Titanic Tunes—A Sing-A-Long in Steerage (The Musical Murrays Conducted by Ian Whitcomb)(Varese Sarabande 5965)
  • 1998 Songs from the Titanic Era (The New White Star Orchestra)(Varese Sarabande VSF 5966)
  • 1999 Comedy Songs (Audiophile ACD 163)
  • 2001 Sentimentally Yours (Woodpecker Records)
  • 2002 Dance Hall Days (ITW Records)
  • 2003 Under the Ragtime Moon (Vivid Sound B00008WD18)
  • 2005 Old Chestnuts & Rare Treats (ITW Records)
  • 2005 Words & Music (ITW Records)
  • 2006 Lone Pine Blues (Vivid Sound NACD3229; Japanese import only)

[edit] Books

  • 1972 After the Ball—Pop Music from Rag to Rock (Allen Lane/Penguin) ISBN 0140034501.
  • 1973 20th Century Fun Essex Music
  • 1975 Tin Pan Alley: A Pictorial History (Paddington Press) ASIN: B000RC8WOC
  • 1979 Lotusland: A Story of Southern California (Wildwood House) ISBN 0704530058
  • 1982 Whole Lotta Shakin’: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Scrapbook (Arrow) ASIN: B000OHDDPI
  • 1983 Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle of the Sixties (Doubleday/Anchor) ISBN 0385157053
  • 1986 Irving Berlin & Ragtime America (Arrow) ISBN 0879101156
  • 1990 Resident Alien (Century) ISBN 0712622667
  • 1994 The Beckoning Fairground: Notes of a British Exile (California Classics) ISBN 1879395045
  • 1994 Treasures of Tin Pan Alley (Mel Bay)
  • 1995 Vaudeville Favorites (Mel Bay)
  • 1996 The Best of Vintage Dance (Mel Bay)
  • 1997 Songs of the Ragtime Era (Mel Bay)
  • 1998 The Titanic Songbook (Mel Bay)
  • 1998 Titanic Tunes (Mel Bay)
  • 1998 Songs of the Jazz Age (Mel Bay)
  • 1999 Ukulele Heaven (Mel Bay)
  • 2001 Uke Ballads (Mel Bay)
  • 2003 The Cat’s Meow (Mel Bay)
  • 2007 The Ian Whitcomb Songbook (Mel Bay)

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Screen

  • 1997 Contact
  • 2000 Stanley’s Gig
  • 2004 Open House

[edit] Television

[edit] Notes

  1. The New York Times, April 26, 1998.
  2. The New York Times, January 22, 1984

[edit] External links